David Hayter : Well, I’ve answered those questions in detail in many previous interviews, and both paths were circuitous and unique. Suffice it to say that I « followed my bliss », by pursuing the paths that seemed the most fun and fulfilling to me, and carved out the course of my life.

Preliminary sketch of Solid Snake (MGS1) by Yoji Shinkawa

From a scenarist’s point of view, why is Snake so emotionally touching for the players ?

David Hayter : Snake is a man with a strong moral code. He believes in the code of the military. but he has not let go of his code as human being, which often runs counter to his orders. He feels for the characters who are downtrodden, and goes out of his way to help them, sometimes at great sacrifice to himself. He is a true hero in every sense of the word. I think because hecares, people care about him.

In general, fans wish to see an HD remake of Metal Gear Solid 1 with brand new graphics. Do you think this is a good idea? Shouldn’t the « old » graphics stay the same in the history of video game like, let’s say, Charlie Chaplin’s black-and-white movies in the history of cinema ?

David Hayter : I can see the benefit of both sides. The first game’s graphics were groundbreaking, and MGS was the first game to seamlessly transition from gameplay to cut-scenes. So, I think there is value in seeing the game as it was created. On the other hand, the game is still so cool and kick-ass, that it could be really fun to replay it with state of the art graphics. I know I’d be into that.

Summit meeting on Shadow Moses

When you read the script for MGS2 for the first time, what was your first reaction when you saw that Solid Snake would not be the main character ?

David Hayter : The scripts for METAL GEAR are so huge and convoluted, that I don’t really get a chance to go through them in detail before we record — So basically, I didn’t find out that I wasn’t the main character until the day we started recording Raiden’s dialogue. How did I feel at that point? Well, I was just thrilled.

The ending of MGS4 was a little disappointing because Hideo Kojima didn’t dare to kill his own character in front of our eyes. Why, do you think, didn’t Hideo Kojima do it ?

David Hayter : I couldn’t speak for Mr. Kojima, but maybe he found it as hard to let go of Snake as I do. It’s a dark game, and a very hard journey for Old Snake, and maybe he just wanted to let the old guy have a final few moments of peace.

Solid Snake offers a unique end to a video game

Since 3D appeared in video games, games are getting closer to movies: scenario-wise, camera plans, dialogues… Shouldn’t video game designer depend more on actual screenwriters and camera planners ?

David Hayter : Yes. I believe that good writing is the final, mostly-unfulfilled aspect of the gaming experience — WIth a few exceptions — GTA, PORTAL, UNCHARTED, and of course MG.

As a screenwriter, don’t you feel a little frustrated to be more known as the voice of Snake instead of your work on X-Men or Watchmen ?

David Hayter : Not at all. I don’t particularly care about being « known », so much as I care about « continuing to work ». Besides, it is simply the nature of screenwriting to be less visible than the other filmmakers. And regardless, being known as Snake? Is pretty bad-ass.

David Hayter when dubbing Metal Gear Solid 4

What have been your best moments during the recordings across the Metal Gear games? Do you have a favorite scene? Some bloopers to share ?

David Hayter : I always enjoy recording with Christopher Randolph, who plays Otacon — We have an endlessly hilarious time. There have been a few moments when the actors were messing around, which almost got left in the final tracks of the game before being caught at the very last second. Like Raiden calling one of the characters « Bitch« , or Dr. Naomi crying, when upon seeing my naked, « Shriveled Snake« , she uttered the tearful words, « So… shriveled…«

You are investing a lot of energy in Snake’s role. Have you ever had a fixation with him (so stressed that you are dreaming about it at night) ?

David Hayter : Energy yes. Stress, no. I have had Snake dreams during periods of heavy recording, but these are mostly super-fun.

No Place For Nightmare !

What games or movies impressed you the most, especially concerning the writing ?

David Hayter : See my list above for best-written games. My favorite written movies are many — JAWS, CHINATOWN, MANHATTAN. And I just saw Johnny Depp’s THE RUM DIARY, which I thought was a great writers’ movie.

What dou you think about the other « stealth games » such as Splinter Cell or Deus Ex ?

David Hayter : I really enjoy SPLINTER CELL — (That Michael Ironside sounds almost as tough as me!) I have never played DEUS EX.

Michael Ironside, doubler Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell series

Since you were 9, you’ve had a theatrical formation, what have been your favorite plays ?

David Hayter : I grew up loving Shakespeare — MACBETH, RICHARD V, etc… But I love Neil Simon, David Mamet — Anything that is well-written.

Is there a comic character, not counting Captain America, that you would have liked to dub ?

David Hayter : I love BATMAN, and I intend to be him someday.

Do you have a final message for our readers over at MetalGearSolid.be end Eklekty City ?